1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for diagnosing plant viroid diseases and more particularly to a method which is rapid and much more sensitive than any known method. The invention also relates to a method for diagnosing viruses.
2. Description of the Art
Currently available methods for diagnosing viroid diseases in plants and crops are time-consuming, inefficient, and not suitable for large scale screening operations. One method involves a bioassay on suitable host plant cultivars. However, this method requires extensive greenhouse space and is unreliable. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified nucleic acid may also be used and although it required only 1 to 2 days to diagnose a viroid disease it is a laborious and expensive process. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis requires that the nucleic acid of interest, that is, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA), be purified to remove interfering molecules.